Rendon reflects on his speakership

From: POLITICO California Playbook - Friday Jan 20,2023 02:14 pm

Jan 20, 2023

By Jeremy B. White, Lara Korte, Ramon Castanos and Matthew Brown

Presented by Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment

THE BUZZ: The second-longest Assembly speakership in California history is nearing its close.

When Speaker Anthony Rendon relinquishes power — assuming he stays through June — the Lakewood Democrat will have overseen the Assembly longer than anyone other than the legendary (and pre-term-limits) Willie Brown. Rendon ascended in 2016 on a promise to give members more autonomy. Since then, he has presided over progressive policy wins and elections that built the largest-ever Democratic caucus. A caustic succession fight is also indelibly part of his legacy. Some highlights from our conversation with him:

On whether to open the budget’s rainy day fund, which Gov. Gavin Newsom has resisted, proposing instead to cut transit and climate funding: “It’s early, but that’s what it’s there for. I’d rather dip into the rainy day fund than cut programs and services … (I am) super worried about the climate and transit stuff. We worked really hard to get that stuff done last year. I’m always worried about childcare.”

On Newsom’s push for an excess oil profits penalty : “We had a presentation from the administration yesterday in caucus about the broad architecture … We’re going to have hearings, we’re going to do all that good legislative stuff we do. That was the conversation we had yesterday with the administration: ‘thanks for the broad architecture, we’re going to have hearings and start filling in the blanks.’”

On whether his decentralized speakership was effective: “Yes, it was, and I think the members believe that, too. I think it’s the Third House and lobbyists who want a centralized speaker. It’s the Third House and lobbyists who want to come to the speaker and say ‘I want you to kill this bill.’ … (Members) want to have power, the chairs want to have power — I also think chairs want to have the ability to own a policy area.”

Anthony Rendon speaks at a meeting.

In this June 15, 2020, file photo, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Lakewood, urges lawmakers to approve the state budget bill, at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. | Rich Pedroncelli, File/AP Photo

On whether speaker tensions will linger ... “That’s human nature. Resentments always linger. Does it mean we won’t get stuff done? No. Last year, the caucus was incredibly fractured. A lot of the stuff we talked about, the climate change bills — we got those done. You’re a big baseball fan, right? The ’72, ’73, ’74 Oakland A’s used to beat the shit out of each other in the dugout and they won consecutive World Series.”

… and why it got so vitriolic : “I think it was the way that it happened. It was a desire to have a speakership outcome prior to an election in which an entire third of the body, the caucus, wasn’t going to get re-elected. It was, I think, perplexing.”

On what has changed over his tenure: “Third House has to spend more time with more people. I think staff has been checked to a large extent: They used to run the show to a large extent, and I think members have more confidence, more knowledge than they did in the past.

That’s all good stuff. The bad stuff that’s changed is honestly, Covid has just — it’s not as fun anymore. It’s not as sociable. It changed everything. I think the two years or whatever broke down the sense of camaraderie and all the fun stuff we used to do, and now everybody kind of goes home, and that’s kind of a shitty thing.”

On his biggest accomplishments … “Farmworker overtime was great, it took a generation to do. $15 minimum wage was awesome to get done. All the various stuff on climate change … it’s not a piece of legislation, but we could have gone into our bunker when Trump got elected, but we came out aggressive and swinging.”

… and what got away: “I want to do more. We’ve invested $2 billion in early childhood education, I wish we invested $4 billion. We raised the minimum wage to $15, I wish we raised it to $20. I’ve been wanting to do an oil extraction thing since 2006.”

On what’s next: "Tap-dancing. I’ve kind of wanted to do a career in tap — start with, like, a Vegas lounge act and then, eventually, I’m going to go to the big stage.”

BUENOS DÍAS, good Friday morning. Vice President Kamala Harris is back in California today to highlight the administration’s flood and drought resilience work in Los Angeles County. She’ll be joined by Sen. Alex Padilla.

Got a tip or story idea for California Playbook? Hit us up at jwhite@politico.com and lkorte@politico.com or follow us on Twitter @JeremyBWhite and @Lara_Korte.

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “If I’m going to become the only African-American woman serving in the Senate, I'll need the strongest possible grassroots team behind me.” Rep. Barbara Lee sends her first Senate fundraising plea to supporters.

BONUS QOTD: “People hug me and say ‘I respect all you’ve done for the state’ — like I’m fucking dying or something.” Rendon on the end of his speakership.

TWEET OF THE DAY:

@SenAlexPadilla

WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.

A message from Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment:

Californians are being ripped off by Big Oil at the gas pump. A price gouging penalty — or windfall profits cap — is sorely needed to protect Californians from greedy polluters. California already imposes a cap on profits for energy utilities that sell methane gas and electricity. We can cap profits on gasoline that protects consumers while ensuring reliable supplies. Governor Newsom and the California legislature must hold Big Oil accountable and pass a price gouging penalty. Learn more.

TOP TALKERS

— “Former LA City Councilman José Huizar agrees to plead guilty to racketeering conspiracy, tax evasion,“ by CBS Los Angeles: “Former Los Angeles City Councilman José Huizar will plead guilty to federal charges that outline a City Hall-based bribery and money laundering scheme in which he took more than $1.5 million in cash, gambling trips and escorts in exchange for his support of a planned downtown hotel project, according to court papers obtained Thursday.”

— “Melahat Rafiei, who was central to the FBI’s Anaheim investigation, takes plea deal,” by The Orange County Register’s Brooke Staggs: “As for Rafiei, the FBI states that she had promised two executives at a local cannabis company that she could help get a favorable cannabis ordinance passed in Irvine if they gave her money to bribe two council members.”

— “Alec Baldwin and weapons handler to be charged with manslaughter in deadly 'Rust' shooting,” by Los Angeles Times’ Meg James and Anousha Sakoui: “The district attorney said she plans to give the juries two options for the charges. If convicted under the lesser charge, Baldwin or Gutierrez would face up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. The D.A. also will ask the juries to consider a harsher penalty, which carries a mandatory five years in prison, because the alleged crime involved the use of a firearm.”

— ”UC regents fire tenured professor after finding he sexually assaulted high school student,” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Kathleen Quinn and Jeremiah O. Rhodes: “During all three alleged rapes, she recalled being frozen in fear, according to court documents. Freezing, or “tonic immobility,” is a typical response to trauma when aggression and fleeing are not seen as viable options, according to numerous studies on the phenomenon.”

CALIFORNIA AND THE CAPITOL CORRIDOR

— Biden gets first-hand look at costly damage to California’s Central Coast by POLITICO’s Wes Venteicher: He said the federal government would help build stronger infrastructure to withstand extreme weather that — driven by climate change — is becoming common in the state.

— “Oakland loses second homelessness chief in two years,” by The OaklandSide’s Natalie Orenstein: “The transition comes as Oakland prepares to close the final remaining portion of the city’s biggest encampment, on Wood Street. Cooper oversaw ongoing closures there and at other large camps like the East 12th median.”

— “Oakland police chief on administrative leave following scathing report,” by KTVU’S Lisa Frenandez and Henry Lee: “A 16-page report conducted by the law firm, Clarence Dyer and Cohen LLP, revealed that Armstrong didn't hold a sergeant accountable for his misconduct after he ripped a neighbor's car bumper off in 2021 and later fired his gun in an elevator at police headquarters the following year.”

— Mayors: Affordable housing demand is crushing us, by POLITICO’s Marissa Martinez: Leaders spanning places like Richmond, Va., and Albuquerque, N.M., aired concerns about establishing affordable housing and strengthening community development during the winter meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors this week in Washington, D.C.

— “In Beverly Hills, Police Surveillance Technology Takes Off,” by Bloomberg’s Patrick Sisson: “There, police officers can take a camera, zoom down Wilshire Boulevard, switch cameras, zoom down Canon Drive, and on and on; Stainbrook calls this “pre-crime, looking for suspicious activity.”

— “California storms feed systems set up to capture rainwater,” by The Associated Press’ Saman Naishadham and Brian Melley: “In the four years since Californians approved a measure to invest hundreds of millions of dollars each year to build small and medium-sized infrastructure projects that collect rainwater, experts say progress has been gradual, but not insignificant.”

— “State COVID testing sites begin to close,” by CalMatters’ Kristen Hwang: “State Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said in a budget call with reporters that the bulk of the proposed decrease comes from fewer state testing responsibilities, but he emphasized that the spending reductions are not “a statement about moving on from COVID in California.”

A message from Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment:

BIDEN, HARRIS AND THE HILL

— “John Eastman is defiant as Trump-related investigations proliferate,” by The New York Times’ Danny Hakim and Michael S. Schmidt: “Mr. Eastman said his advice to the president and vice president was only that Mr. Pence should pause the certification of the election, giving legislatures more time to consider fraud allegations in certain states where Mr. Trump had lost.”

— ‘You’re hurting my country’: Manchin faces Europe’s wrath, by POLITICO’s Alexander Ward and Suzanne Lynch: In the Swiss Alps, Manchin was determined to change the minds of men and women who see him as the face of a new American rival, the cause of a great rupture in transatlantic economic relations. Now, having made the trip across the Atlantic, he’s trying to put the pieces back together. He has been in one mode and one mode only here: sell, baby, sell.

SILICON VALLEYLAND

— “Supreme Court poised to reconsider key tenets of online speech,” by The New York Times’ David McCabe: “In its lawsuit, the family said Section 230 should not shield YouTube from the claim that the video site supported terrorism when its algorithms recommended Islamic State videos to users. The suit argues that recommendations can count as their own form of content produced by the platform, removing them from the protection of Section 230.”

— “Netflix founder Reed Hastings is giving up his CEO role,” by CNBC’S Rebecca Picciotto: “He leaves the helm as the streaming giant attempts a variety of pivots to boost s and rebound after its business sagged in recent quarters.”

MIXTAPE

— “Propping feet on Pelosi desk was mistake, man testifies,” by The Associated Press’ Michael Kunizelman and Lindsay Whitehurst.

— “Fremont to pay $2.6M to former firefighter to settle retaliation suit,” by The Mercury News’ Martha Brennan.

— “Actor Julian Sands missing as officials warn of ‘dangerous’ conditions on CA mountain,” by The Sacramento Bee’s Daniella Segura.

— “Seeking an oasis in the Palm Springs desert with $350,000 to spend. Which home did he choose?” by The New York Times’ Soumya Karlamangla.

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BIRTHDAYS

Sam Dealey

A message from Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment:

Californians are being ripped off by Big Oil at the gas pump. Last year, when Californians paid $6 a gallon for gas, $3 more than the national average, oil companies reported record high profits. A price gouging penalty — or windfall profits cap — is sorely needed to protect Californians from greedy polluters raising gasoline prices in the future. Under this type of regulation, oil refineries can still make profits but within reason so it doesn’t hurt consumers, especially low income and communities of color. Oil refineries should be limited in how much profit they can make to ensure Californians are protected from abnormally high gasoline prices. California can cap profits on gasoline that protects consumers while ensuring reliable supplies. Governor Newsom and the California legislature must hold Big Oil accountable and pass a price gouging penalty. Learn more.

CALIFORNIA POLICY IS ALWAYS CHANGING: Know your next move. From Sacramento to Silicon Valley, POLITICO California Pro provides policy professionals with the in-depth reporting and tools they need to get ahead of policy trends and political developments shaping the Golden State. To learn more about the exclusive insight and analysis this -only service offers, click here.

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